


when the smoke clears

by IcyCrystal



Category: One Piece
Genre: ASL Brothers, Amnesia, Angst with a Happy Ending, Character Death Fix, Fix-It, Gen, Marineford Arc, and dragon kinda cares about luffy, but also a little angsty, i'm just giving the ASL brothers what they deserve, interpret sabo and koala's relationship however you want, mostly a gen fic, not really angsty tho haha, sabo saves the day
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-13
Updated: 2019-08-13
Packaged: 2020-08-20 08:27:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20224813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IcyCrystal/pseuds/IcyCrystal
Summary: Then suddenly came the shout, as Fire-Fist Ace's body slumped onto the crimson ground, that pierced the agonizing veil of noise. It was Straw-Hat Luffy, falling to his knees as he cried in undulating pain at the sight of his dead brother. The sheer sound of it caused the observer too to fall to his knees, his own grief like a vice around his heart."NO!"Ever since receiving the news of Fire-Fist Ace's impending execution, Sabo has been plagued by terrible nightmares. He's not sure why, but he knows that he must find out. Who were the two boys that ran through his imagination time and time again, only to disappear? What was his connection to Straw-Hat and Fire-Fist? And why did the thought of Fire-Fist Ace's death terrify him so profoundly?





	when the smoke clears

The ground shook as a frenzy suddenly overtook the battlefield. Fire-Fist Ace had just been released of his sea-stone shackles and was now unleashing hell upon any and every Marine soldier unfortunate enough to stand in his way. Alongside him was his brother and liberator, Straw-Hat Luffy, a triumphant grin plastered on his dirty face. The two worked in effortless coordination, the kind that could only be achieved after years of fighting together, and were sweeping enemies left to right with practiced ease. It seemed the tides had finally turned in favour of the pirates, who watched the brothers with mixed expressions of awe, relief, and pride. To him, who observed the battle from afar, the sight of the fearsome duo was enough to incite feelings of joy and nostalgia, though he did not particularly know why.

The pirates began their hasty retreat, with the Navy strengthening their attacks, although to no avail. Fire-Fist and Straw-Hat had made it to within an inch of the getaway ship before an ominous voice halted their escape- Admiral Akainu. To the observer, the man's speech was unintelligible, consisting of garbled noise and incomprehensible words. Still, the sound was so horrible and menacing that the observer could not help but feel nauseous with fear. Whatever was said seemed to strike a chord within Fire-Fist Ace, as he turned on his feet and charged at the Admiral in utter rage. Akainu, taking advantage of Fire-Fist's momentary distraction, moved to attack the Straw-Hat. And as quickly as the fight began, it ended.

When the smoke had cleared, the only perceptible thing was the figure of Fire-Fist on his knees, a gaping, bloody wound on his back. Streams of tears rolled down his bloodied cheeks, as his brother began the futile endeavour of putting pressure on the fatal injury. Straw-Hat Luffy, dry eyes wide with terror and disbelief, began to shake his head in denial.

Then, the observer, whose body was stiffened in shock, heard something. It was barely a whisper, such that one who had not been listening could have mistaken it for the breeze.

"Even though I am so worthless, even though I have the blood of a demon running through my veins... Thank you for loving me!"

Those words, the first intelligible ones so far, resounded in the air. The observer's heartbeat began to pound painfully in his ears, increasing in volume until he could no longer hear the surrounding battle. As he watched Fire-Fist Ace's eyes dim in their light and his mouth curl into a regretful smile, the observer's hammering heartbeat became unbearably agonizing.

Then suddenly came the shout, as Fire-Fist Ace's body slumped onto the crimson ground, that pierced the agonizing veil of noise. It was Straw-Hat Luffy, falling to his knees as he cried in undulating pain at the sight of his dead brother. The sheer sound of it caused the observer too to fall to his knees, his own grief like a vice around his heart.

**"NO!"**

* * *

Sabo bolted upright, breathing heavily. Darting his eyes around the room to scan for danger, he quickly realized that it had been a nightmare. Leaning back against the headboard in relief, he focused on regulating his breathing. It had been a nightmare again. _The same _nightmare again. Ever since he'd read the paper on Fire-Fist Ace's capture and his impending execution, the nightmares had been a constant in his sleep. He had hardly rested these past few days.

Sabo cringed in disgust as he ran his fingers through his hair, feeling how utterly soaked his head was with sweat. He sighed and swept away the hair plastered to his face, deciding that he could do with some fresh air. Sabo slowly crept towards the door, so as to not awaken his sleeping companions, Koala and Hack, the latter of which was snoring like a bulldozer. He smiled fondly as he gazed at them before shutting the door.

Heading outside, Sabo breathed in the freshness of the air and welcomed the breeze that caressed his face. He leaned over the railing and began to contemplate. He could not understand why the nightmares affected him so, much less the terror he had felt after learning about Fire-Fist's approaching execution. He hardly even knew the man. In fact, the only reason he was aware of the Fire-Fist's existence was because of the pirate's infamy across the seas. They had never even met, and yet... It was early morning, early enough that the sun had yet to breach the horizon. Sabo stared intently at the darkness before him, as if expecting the emptiness to simply yield the answers.

_Is he someone from my past?_

Sabo continued to glare at the ocean in concentration, reaching into the farthest depths of his memory. His first memory was that of waking up in an unfamiliar bed surrounded by strange people. These people, of course, he would come to know as his comrades in the Revolutionary Army. But before that, nothing. It was not that he had reached the extent of his memory either, it was quite the opposite. Sabo was entirely aware of the fact that he could venture further, but there was nothing to be found should he continue. Just infinite blackness.

"Staring contest against the ocean? I knew you were bored, Sabo-kun, but not this bored," said a voice from beside him. Blinking out of the trance, Sabo slowly inclined his head towards the sound, where he found an approaching Koala, staring at him amusedly. She propped her elbows on the railing, her back to the ocean, and twisted her head to look at Sabo expectantly.

"Couldn't sleep," she asked. From this angle, Sabo could easily see the dark bags that hung beneath her eyes.

"Mhm," he hummed in response, followed by a smirk. "I should ask you that question. You look horrible."

Koala scowled in mock anger. "Well, it would be a miracle if anyone could sleep with Hack in the same room," she responded defensively, to which Sabo chuckled. She then cast her eyes to the floor and seemed to steady herself, before returning his questioning stare. "And I've noticed you haven't been sleeping either. I'm worried about you Sabo-kun."

Sabo turned away from her earnest gaze, staring once more at the ocean. He could feel her eyes burning holes into the side of his face and tried not to shift uncomfortably.

"Do you want to talk about it," she asked gently.

His mind raced. Sabo wanted to tell her everything- of the void in his memory, the haze which obscured it, and the blood-curdling shout that plagued his nightmares. He yearned to tell her of the two children that sometimes ran through the plains of his memory, only to disappear again into smokey obscurity. He ached to have someone else recognize his pain, to see that despite his efforts, the smoke before him would never yield his past. And yet, he remained silent, unable to utter his thoughts.

Koala sighed in defeat and began to walk away. As he listened to her footfalls against the wooden deck, Sabo felt an overwhelming sense of guilt. He turned around and called for her to stop. She complied but kept her back turned, not bothering to face him.

Sabo cleared his throat. "I know you're asking out of concern, and I appreciate it, truly. But, even I don't know what exactly is happening to me. I just," he breathed, "I just need to figure out some things first. Maybe once it's all sorted, I can tell you, if you're still willing to listen."

It was then that Koala turned to give him a small nod, her mouth curled in a smile, before continuing back to the sleeping quarters. Sabo smiled to himself in relief, knowing he had been forgiven, and faced the ocean once more. He concentrated on the hazy faces of the two boys at the forefront of his imagination.

_Just who are you?_

* * *

Sabo stood in the office of the Revolutionary Army leader, Dragon, the man who also happened to be his boss. The said man was currently staring at him expectantly, patiently waiting in silence. "Dragon-san," Sabo inclined his head in greeting.

"Sabo," Dragon acknowledged his second-in-command. Sabo watched as Dragon's eyes roved over his body, no doubt taking in his disheveled appearance and the bags under his eyes that (though he would never admit) were significantly worse than Koala's. After finishing his examination, Dragon met Sabo's stare with veiled curiosity. "What brings you here, Sabo?"

Sabo steeled himself. He had made a resolve and would absolutely carry it through no matter the boss' decision. He only hoped that Dragon would humour him, as he did not wish to lose his place in the Revolutionary Army. "I want to go to Marineford."

Dragon's eyes widened for an instant before they narrowed. "And why would you want to do that," he asked slowly.

Sabo gulped. The only thing he could do was ask plainly, Dragon was not one for beating around the bush. "I think Fire-Fist Ace has something to do with my past."

Dragon's face remained impassive as a long pause ensued. Sabo could feel the internal debate surely taking place in Dragon's mind, though the man certainly did not show it. Vibrating with anxiety, Sabo readied himself for rejection and opened his mouth to break the tense silence.

"I-"

"Okay." Sabo stared blankly.

"What?"

"Okay," Dragon repeated. "You have my permission."

"That easy? W-why," Sabo stuttered. His mouth opened, a barrage of questions ready to spill from his lips- and promptly clicked shut after the fondly amused look (no doubt from how unimaginably baffled he probably looked) Dragon shot his way. Never one to look a gift-horse in the mouth, Sabo wisely held his tongue.

"Is that all," Dragon drawled, to which Sabo nodded. "You're dismissed then."

Sabo inclined his head and made to exit, still reeling from shock. He hadn't expected it to be that easy. Hell, he had not expected Dragon to humour him at all. He had mentally prepared himself for a lecture, perhaps on how it was not the Revolutionary Army's place to meddle in the affairs of pirates and marines, or how he was too young to contend against the forces of Whitebeard (this one he expected less, as he was fully aware of Dragon's faith in his prowess). But for his request to be granted so casually...

"Sabo." He turned, making eye contact with Dragon. "Be safe," Dragon said with an earnestness unbefitting of a boss to his inferior. But then again, Dragon had never bought into those ignorant ideals. 

"I'll try," Sabo responded, smiling despite himself.

Seemingly satisfied with the response, Dragon turned his uncharacteristically wistful gaze onto the table. Or more specifically, the wanted poster laying flat on the table. From what Sabo could make out in the dim light of the room, it looked to be of a boy donning a Straw-Hat.

_Straw-Hat Luffy._ Sabo's mind flared in recognition, the memory of Straw-Hat weeping in anguish beside his brother's corpse still fresh in his mind.

When it appeared that Dragon would no longer address him, Sabo made his way to the exit. As it began to thunder outside, he watched the doleful look on the face of the World's Most Wanted Man for a moment longer, before closing the door.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey y'all! So there's that, I finally got off my ass and started writing. I couldn't get the idea out of my head and I just had to write SOMETHING. I also just finished summer school, so I don't have anything to do. Just to be clear, I'm making this up as I go, so as far as what's gonna happen in the future, I'm as clueless as you. AND on that note, I would really appreciate if you guys could leave your thoughts below (help strengthen a girl's motivation to continue, will you) and/or suggestions in the comments because, as I said, I have no clue where this is heading.


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